Spence vs Dixon - The first year scenario

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DATELINE COLUMBO - 5 April 1942

A large Japanese TF was sighted yesterday approxiamately 600 miles Southeast of Ceylon and was engaged by units of the Royal Navy. The enemy force, apparently composed of some of the smaller aircraft carriers of the Japanese Navy, launched repeated attacks with torpedo bombers escorted by Zero type fighters. All attacks were beaten off without damage to RN forces. More than 30 enemy attack-type aircraft were shot down along with a number of fighters.

[Mike Dixon]

Sitrep 4th to 6th April 1942

A large carrier battle took place to the southwest of Ceylon between the 4th and 5th of April. Several enemy airstrikes were devastated and following the stragglers back to their lair, several hits were recorded on the enemy ships by Kates. The enemy force, based on CV's Indomitable and Formidable, was last seen fleeing to Ceylon. On the 6th, I-155 reported hitting AO Pecos with a torpedo. The enemy oiler was listing to port and burning furiously before disappearing into a rain squall. Yamamato was pleased with the battle as it reinforced Japanese air and naval supremacy over the Bay of Bengal.

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DATELINE COLOMBO - 8 April 1942

The USS Pecos arrived here today, damaged but still seaworthy, after an epic voyage from Australia. During the voyage Pecos provided fuel for our carriers which had previously struck a Japanese fleet moving up the South coast of Sumatra sinking the battleship HIJMS Nagato and damaging another battleship of the Kongo Class.

Meanwhile the enemy carrier force, previously engaged by our fleet SW of Ceylon, has withdraw from the Indian Ocean. Although no damage was done to the enemy ships, it is believed that the enemy carrier air groups were devastated in the battle. Several Japanese flyers picked up by our ships following the attacks on the 6th were completely demoralized by the hot reception they received. Speaking rather freely they identified the Japanese carriers as the Ryujo, Zuiho, Taiyo and Hosho.







A Naval Rating guards two Japanese Naval Aviators rescued after being shot down while attacking RN carriers SW of Ceylon.

[Wellard]

Love this AR mainly because its so hard to tell what is really going on.Keep up the good work

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its so hard to tell what is really going on

 
How can you say that?  The Japanese reports are obviously and abundantly full of lies and distortions. 

[Mike Dixon]

Sitrep 7th-9th April

Tongatapu Island - 500 miles East of Suva

On the 7th, a small destroyer force, including the Sazanami and Kasasagi, encountered the enemy freighter Proteus. After ignoring several calls to surrender honourably, the ship was sunk. Intelligence sources on the island suggest that the vessel was being used to rescue marooned U.S. personnel. The island is due to be occupied soon.

Also on the 7th, the tattered remenants of Chairman Mao's were routed at Xining. The communist figurehead is now believed to have perished, along with his army. Several new offensives are now being planned in China.

Meanwhile in the Phillipines, a number of the outlying islands (San Jose and Taytay) have now been brought under Japanese control. A number of colonial American troops were captured.

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DATELINE WASHINGTON - 12 April 1942

The War Department issued a brief statement this afternoon:

After months of ceaseless Japanese attacks the gallant defenders of Bataan in the Philippines were finally forced to lay down their arms. Starving, diseased, and without hope of immediate relief, the troops have done all that could have been required and more to tie down thousands of the troops of a merciless enemy. Though it is true that they fought on to no avail, theirs is not a legacy of shame but rather of the grim determination that their enemy shall suffer an ultimate defeat all the more crushing than that forced upon themselves.

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DATELINE COLOMBO - 12 April 1942

Allied bombers conducted a devastating raid upon the enemy base at Port Blair in the Andaman Islands today. Upwards of 50 enemy aircraft, including a large force of enemy naval bombers, were destroyed on the airfield. Though a large force of enemy fighters rose to oppose the raid only one bomber was lost. At least 5 enemy fighters were brought down by Allied gunners.

Allied bombers also continued to pound the enemy base at Mandalay in Burma. Warehouses full of supplies were targeted and left burning furiously after the raids.

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DATELINE CALCUTTA - 15 April 1942

A Japanese submarine operating only 100 miles off the coast in the Bay of Bengal was attacked and heavily damaged, possibly sunk, by RN forces yesterday. Following our forces attack a large oil slick was observed on the surface of the sea.

Southeast Asia Command reported that an enemy transport was sunk in the approaches to Port Blair in the Andaman Islands yesterday.

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DATELINE HONOLULU - 15 April 1942

Admiral Nimitz's Headquarters today announced that American forces had bombed and severely damaged the enemy base on Marcus Island approxiamately 800 miles South Southeast of Tokyo. Many enemy installations were smashed and left burning. Friendly losses were very light.

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DATELINE SYDNEY - 15 April 1942

General MacArthur's Headquarters announced today that reinforcements now arriving in Australia will make an Allied offensive possible quite soon. "The enemy's overwhelming superiority in air power is coming to an end and together with our Australian Allies we should soon be able to recapture that which was lost".

Meanwhile in the Philippines, Japanese landings continue on Mindanao. The cut off garrison of Davao appears to be the enemy's objective. Other garrisons on Mindoro and Cebu are also threatened.

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DATELINE SAN FRANCISCO - 16 April 1942

Naval  District Headquarters today announced that U.S. Navy forces attacked and possibly sank a Japanese submarine approxiamately 200 WSW of San Francisco.  A large oil slick was observed following the attacks.

DATELINE DAVAO - 16 April 1942

Enemy landings at Cotalbo and Dajangas have gained further lodgements near this hard pressed city.  PVT  Alfredo Gutteriez, Philippine Army, declared that he was forced to abandon his position outside Dajangas after running out of ammunition.  "I fight dem so long as I can but dere were far too many", he said.  PVT Gutteriez went on to say that one of the Japanese transports exploded and sank as the enemy were coming onto the beach.  "I don tink I deed that, dough" he said.  Authorities here made no comment regarding the allegded sinking.

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DATELINE COLOMBO - 18 April 1942

Naval Headquarters has announced that a Japanese submarine, identified as the I-124, was attacked and sunk in the harbor here today. Several heavy explosions were heard following our destroyers' attacks. Subsequently a large quantity of wooden debris, some of it marked with Japanese characters. and some human remains rose to the surface along with a large quantity of oil. "The Japanese Captain apparently sought to repeat the bold attack of German Captain Gunter Prien at Scapa Flow at the beginning of the war. In that he was most assuredly not successful, though he now shares Captain Prien's ultimate fate."

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DATELINE HONOLULU - 20 April 1942

US Naval Headquarters in Pearl harbor announced today that another Japanese submarine has been attacked and sunk in the Hawaiian Defensive Zone by US Navy forces. The submarine, identified as the I-30, was of a type that can carry a small seaplane for scouting purposes. After repeated attacks by Navy ships a heavy underwater explosion was heard. Shortly thereafter, a large quantity of oil and debris, including a section of wing marked with the Rising Sun emblem, spread across the surface of the sea.

[Mike Dixon]

Sitrep 10th-12th April 1942

China

Over the three day period, many enemy planes have been destroyed at Hengchow and Yunan, including large numbers of the advanced P-40B Tomahawk type fighter. It is thought that these so called 'Flying Tigers' have fled China for the relative safety of India. In a rare interview, Lieutenant General Masakazu Kawabe of Burma Area Hq, has vowed to hunt down these aircraft wherever their lair is.

Meanwhile elements of the Burma hq army are closing in on Yunan. In a short battle on the 10th April, upto six Chinese armies were routed only 120 miles to the NW of the city. Enemy attempts to flee to the city next day were foiled by the 8th Tank regiment, which closely followed the routed enemy and pinned them down in a series of engagements.


Marcus Island

On the 12th of April a large scale enemy carrier raid was foiled by local troops. Several Dauntless enemy dive bombers were shot down, to no friendly loss.


Luzon

The enemy stronghold at Bataan formally surrendered on the 12th April. Around twenty thousand mixed American/Filipino combat troops surrendered with little fight. A 'famed' U.S. Marine regiment was amongst the haul of prisoners.


Surrender of American troops at Corregidor:-

[Mike Dixon]

Stars and stripes lowered on Luzon

[Mike Dixon]

Sitrep 13th-16th April 1942

TOKYO TIMES HEADLINES


AMERICAN ATROCITIES ON INNOCENT CIVILIAN SHIPPING!

It is this newspapers sad duty to report of henious crimes commited by Roosevelt and the arch criminal Churchill. Over the past few days several freighters laden with medical supplies and equipment have been attacked and sunk WITHOUT warning in various parts of the Pacific. From the beginning of the defensive war, forced upon Japan by the American gangsters, U.S. subs have been waging war in an unrestricted manner. Although losses have been thankfully negligible to date, the events over the last few days have brought matters to a head. As can be seen from the following report intercepted from the Sargo, the AK Akashi Maru was both torpedoed and fired upon by the submarine. Reports from the survivours suggest that the Japanese personnel were also fired upon after the ship had sunk. The Daihonei are now considering withdrawing the generous peace terms offered several weeks ago. Several new measures have now been introduced to stop these war criminal activities!


Sub attack near Dadjangas

Japanese Ships
AK Akashi Maru, Shell hits 11, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage

Allied Ships
SS Sargo

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DATELINE DARWIN - 20 April 1942

The USS Sargo arrived in port yesterday afternoon after evacuating a number of badly wounded soldiers from the garrison at Davao in the Philippines. The Captain of the ship, Lcdr Raymond Lynch, noted that prior to arriving in Davao he had happened upon a Japanese transport landing troops at Dadjangas somewhat SW of Davao and sunk her with torpedoes and gunfire. Subsequently he had approached one of the ships boats, heavily overloaded with soldiers, to offer such medical assistance as his corpsman could provide and was taken under fire by the soldiers. "I found it necessary to disarm them" he said gesturing to a large stack of apparent Japanese armaments on the ship's deck. Asked if he had brought back any prisoners he declined comment. The Japanese ship was identified as the Akashi Maru homeported in Tokyo (3580 gross tons).





Australian soldiers examine Japanese arms captured by USS Sargo

[Mike Dixon]

Digest of operations in the Pacific area, 17th - 22nd April 1942

Relative calm has settled over the Pacific rim. Foreign office analysts suggest this is due to the weakness of the Allied powers. Certain bombastic declarations from MacArthur can be discounted. Debriefing of U.S. Bataan forces suggest a very low regard to their former commander, who abandoned the Phillipines sometime ago.

However the illegal enemy unrestricted submarine warfare continued unabated, though a devasting blow was struck by an ASW TF including APD-46 and PG's Toyotsu Maru and Seikai Maru, which sank SS Pollack on the 18th April.

The commander of the TF is to be awarded the 'Liberation of Greater East Asia' medal on his return to Japan.

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DATELINE CHUNGKING - 24 April 1943

A Japanese attack on Yunan was repulsed with heavy losses yesterday. Following a difficult retreat from North Burma our divisions rallied on the outskirts of the city to turn back a thrust by a Japanese tank regiment supported by at least two divisions of infantry.
At least 30 Japanese tanks were destroyed. As the enemy pulled back in some disorder our units of the 14th Corps counterattacked and turned the enemy withdrawal into a rout. Another dozen tanks were destroyed and several hundred enemy killed or taken prisoner.

Allied bombers have been striking Japanese supply lines repeatedly over the past few days in support of our troops.